It is now well-known in the orthodontic art to directly bond orthodontic brackets to teeth. Often such orthodontic brackets are plastic and may be as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,314.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,355 issued July 21, 1970 to the present inventor describes various positioning means and included an adjustable positioning means for positioning orthodontic brackets on teeth. It was recognized that it is important to be able to place orthodontic brackets simply and accurately on the labial surfaces of teeth as desired. It is equally important that in the cementing or bonding procedure the setting time or curing time of the adhesive used be undisturbed in order to prevent loss of effectiveness of this technique. It is therefore imperative to be able to not only handle the brackets effectively but also to be able to hold them precisely in place as needed during the setting time of the cement. If any movement occurs it affects the bonding of the bracket to the surface of the tooth by weakening the bond and eventually the bracket loosens and falls off. It is of primary significance to be able to handle and position the small brackets with accurate measurement and to bring them into and hold them in precise positions undisturbed during the cementing procedure.
Many brackets now on the market both of the plastic and metal type do not have supplementary means for simplifying the placement and cementing of such brackets accurately on teeth. In many cases, manufacturers recommend using various forms of hand-held tweezers which can be impractical and sometimes result in failures.